Kent, New York
Kent is a town in Putnam County, New York, USA. The population was 14,009 at the 2000 census. The name is that of an early settler family.
The Town of Kent is the north-central part of the Putnam County. It is sometimes called "Kent Lakes." Many of the lakes are reservoirs for New York City.
History
Kent was part of the Phillipse Patent of 1679, when it was still populated by the Wappinger tribe. Daniel Nimham, (1724-1778) was the last chief of the Wappingers and was the most prominent Native American of his time in the Hudson Valley. The town was first settled around 1750. It became the Frederickstown district in 1788.
The Town of Kent was established as the "Town of Frederick" in 1795 when the township boundaries were realigned. Its name was changed to "Kent" in 1817. A small portion of the Town of Philipstown was transferred to Kent in 1877.
The major population center of the township is Lake Carmel, a settlement around an artificial lake (also known as "Lake Carmel") developed in the 1920s. Historically the population centers had been Farmer's Mills and Ludingtonville, little of which remain. The town is served by the Carmel Central School District and, for the majority of residents, by the Carmel Post Office under the name Kent Lakes (because another community upstate has a post office called Kent).
Due to little commercial development and suburban sprawl the Town of Kent has become one of the most beautiful natural locations within 50-60 miles of New York City. West Kent is a sought after weekend destination for New York City second-home owners. The abundant lakes, streams, rock formations and Parks and the clean air and water make it an oasis of nature only one hour from Manhattan.
Kent is home to a number of reservoirs that supply water to New York City and Westchester County and consequently a large portion of the land has been purchased for conservation by New York City through the Watershed Preservation Program.
Taxes are lower than in Westchester but higher than other Putnam County Towns which have seen developments by major big box retailers and have lost much of their small town charm.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 111.8 km² (43.2 mi²). 105.2 km² (40.6 mi²) of it is land and 6.6 km² (2.5 mi²) of it (5.88%) is water.
The north town line is the border of Dutchess County. Kent sits high on the spectacular Hudson Highlands sixty miles north of New York City in the north central portion of Putnam County. Within the borders are two State Parks: Wonder Lake in the east and Fahnestock in the west, a portion of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, and thousands of acres of spectacular open spaces under the permanent protection of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection.
Kent is home to a number of quite beautiful lakes which were once the domain of summer visitors but now have become year-round communities. Sagamore Lake, Lake Tibet, China Lake (so named for a case of china an angry housewife threw in it to spite her drunken husband), Palmer Lake and White Pond.
Kent Lakes is also home to several New York City reservoirs, among them Boyd's Corners and West Branch, with the former being the east of Hudson terminus of the Catskill/Delaware system and a vastly important link in what may be the world's most important engineering feat - the NYC water supply.
Interstate 84 and the Taconic State Parkway pass through the town.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 14,009 people, 4,868 households, and 3,748 families residing in the town. The population density was 133.1/km² (344.8/mi²). There were 5,353 housing units at an average density of 50.9/km² (131.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.81% White, 1.41% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.81% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.77% of the population.
There were 4,868 households out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $72,346, and the median income for a family was $79,716. Males had a median income of $51,634 versus $38,575 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,984. About 4.2% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Kent
- Allen Corners -- A hamlet in the northwest part of the town.
- Berkshire Terrace -- A hamlet in the north part of the town.
- Camp Hines --
- Carmel Park Estates --
- Clear Pool Camp --
- Clarence Fahnestock State Park -- A state park in the west part of the town.
- Farmers Mills -- A hamlet in the northwest part of the town.
- Gypsy Trail --
- Lake Carmel -- A hamlet in the south part of the town.
- Kent Cliffs --
- Kent Corners -- A hamlet north of Lake Carmel village.
- Kent Hills -- A hamlet south of Luddingtonville.
- Luddingtonville -- A hamlet near the north town line.
- Meads Corners --
- Richardsville --
- Wonder Lake State Park --
- Yale Corners --
External links
43°19′40″N 78°08′07″W / 43.32778°N 78.13528°W
Municipalities and communities of Putnam County, New York, United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
